Text and photo: Jan NordlanderGovernment Offices of Sweden
A hundred thousand people in Cambodia have been forced to move from their land. Sweden drew attention to the humanitarian situation of the homeless in the first dialogue meeting between Sweden and Cambodia.
The first dialogue about human rights between Sweden and Cambodia took place at the end of February in Phnom Penh. The theme was land rights. The participants made a field visit to the place to which families from a slum area in the city had been forced to move by being evicted. They were given an opportunity to speak both to those who had received new housing and those who had become homeless.
The UN estimates that around 100 000 people in Cambodia have been forced to move from their land in the last ten years, and that at least as many will be evicted in the next few years. Although compensation is given, poor people in urban slum areas are primarily affected. In the mountain areas, traditional ways of life in entire societies are threatened by collapse when owners are forced to leave their property through expropriation.
The humanitarian situation of the homeless important
The Swedish delegation urged the Cambodian authorities to take measures to alleviate the humanitarian situation of the homeless and to investigate the abuses claimed to have taken place during the evictions. The delegation also urged the authorities to establish guidelines for future evictions together with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (COHCHR), should such evictions be necessary.
Other discussions covered legislative work in human rights, the fight against corruption and impunity, measures to prevent torture, the conditions of work of NGOs and the trials of the Khmer Rouge.
Sweden is to examine the possibility of supporting Cambodia in its work on human rights, including training officials, reporting to the UN Human Rights Committees and upgrading Cambodia's national committee for human rights.
The first dialogue about human rights between Sweden and Cambodia took place at the end of February in Phnom Penh. The theme was land rights. The participants made a field visit to the place to which families from a slum area in the city had been forced to move by being evicted. They were given an opportunity to speak both to those who had received new housing and those who had become homeless.
The UN estimates that around 100 000 people in Cambodia have been forced to move from their land in the last ten years, and that at least as many will be evicted in the next few years. Although compensation is given, poor people in urban slum areas are primarily affected. In the mountain areas, traditional ways of life in entire societies are threatened by collapse when owners are forced to leave their property through expropriation.
The humanitarian situation of the homeless important
The Swedish delegation urged the Cambodian authorities to take measures to alleviate the humanitarian situation of the homeless and to investigate the abuses claimed to have taken place during the evictions. The delegation also urged the authorities to establish guidelines for future evictions together with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (COHCHR), should such evictions be necessary.
Other discussions covered legislative work in human rights, the fight against corruption and impunity, measures to prevent torture, the conditions of work of NGOs and the trials of the Khmer Rouge.
Sweden is to examine the possibility of supporting Cambodia in its work on human rights, including training officials, reporting to the UN Human Rights Committees and upgrading Cambodia's national committee for human rights.
8 comments:
"In God we trust"!!!
Long Live Sweden and Cambodia!!!
Long Live the friendship between Jasmina and the Swedish Royals!!!
And of course, Long Love the Swedish Government!!!
Than is nice of Sweden. I don't mind having the right to some Sweden's land too.
of course, until this issue is being addressed openly by all concerned citizens and diplomatic community in the name of humanitarian, we will continue to see more eviction as cambodia is slated for development and peace and prosperity is gaining ground in cambodia. we have to remember that due to the previous war and displacement all across cambodia, people were allowed to stay on state property, although for temporary until the state decided that it's time for them to relocate elsewhere so cambodia can redevelop the country given it is now in peace, stability and prosperity. this issue needs a lot of gov't discussion so those who are affected by this redevelopment process will not be ignored. i think this is an inevitable problem as cambodia is now moving toward prosperity, peace and stability. so, this kind of mass relocation must be taken into consideration by gov't in the form of gov't assistance and properly compensation and so on. gov't can't ignore this and don't blame redevelopment either; cambodia needs redevelopment as the country is now at peace with stability and prosperity. we cannot ignore both phenomenons. i applauded the swedish gov't for talking and looking for solution on this issue. god bless cambodia.
cambodia should consider reestablish the land rights again now that the war is behind us. plus, the situation in cambodia, people were allowed to live everywhere, even on state property and so on; it was due to the civil conflict of the past; however now that cambodia is experiencing peace and prosperity again, there's a tendency for cambodia to become more civilized, even in society and way of living and doing business. yet, there are a remnant of situation left to be dealt with like eviction of a mass number of people who lived on state property and so on. this is one of the thing cambodia can learn from our past by making sure that people who were allowed to live on state property know that they must go when the state ask them to relocate. otherwise this kind of problem will begin again. i see a lot people are now living on state properties like the railroad tracks, the roadways, nattional park, etc... people must be educated to understand that if the state tell them to move, they must move to make way for national reconstruction and so on. please understand this. wake up! god bless cambodia.
also the waterways are state properties as well, so if they are told to move, they must move, hello!!
12:37AM,
You want the Swedish land? Please do so because nobody is forbidding you from owning it. You can even have the whole planet if you will. As long you do it with the respect of other!!!
May god bless Cambodia and her people!!! May God also bless HM King-Father, Queen-Mother and HM King Sihmoni!!! And of course, may God bless my beloved parents, my dear friends from around the world and may God bless ALL living BEINGS!!!
Oh! I forgot... May God bless SR and Compagnies!!!
Well, I just want to stay in an area in sweden for a serveral years and called mine afterward. Is that respectful enough, 3:02?
Please don't listen to pouk Ah Scam Rainxy. They are all fakes who try to deceive poor people for political gain.
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